Hellyer is remembered as the first white man to set foot in the area that became Burnie and as the tragic figure who failed to find vast sheep-grazing pastures he felt sure existed on the West Coast.

He was in the employ of the pioneering Van Diemens Land Company at the time, based in Stanley where he eventually took his own life in 1832. It's unclear why he did it but Pam believes a sense of failing the VDL Co and it's investors may have contributed.

"He was a troubled man at the end of his life... and he shot himself. There was a lot of rumour and innuendo about him which I think is a bit sad." Pam says.

"He was single so a lot of the innuendo was that he may have been homosexual. It's really just not known what caused him to reach that point but he was relatively young, only 42.

"The only painting of him was produced by Casey McGrath who worked from written descriptions and from researching his family and observing family likeness. We know he was tall and finely built. It's kind of good for me to not have a definite likeness to work on.

"I think my Henry is pretty handsome really. I like him anyway."

Hellyer was possibly oblivious to the fact that while he failed to find pasture, he did chart much of the wild North West of Tasmania in the process of looking, something for which people in this region today regard as an impressive feat.

In one well-documented trek he travelled from Circular Head to Valentines Peak and at a time when the agricultural belt we know today was densely wooded forest from mountain to coast in most places.

Pam Thorne, at age 73, has a had a big year, being named Burnie Citizen of the Year last summer as well as winning the major prize in the statewide Material Girl art competition.

The paper people sculptures for which she and friend Ruth Rees are well known, have become almost iconic in Burnie through their prominence at Creative Paper and now the Makers Workshop.

The sculpture of Henry Hellyer was commissioned by the Burnie Regional Museum. In one breath, Pam says the work will probably be her last... a twinkling of an eye later (and Pam's eyes do twinkle) she says it almost certainly isn't!